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The Global Warming Threat

On October 26th, 1975 the Global Warming Threat started, when “the North Carolina conference, which took place…was co-sponsored by two agencies of the U.S. National Institutes of Health: the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.”1 Dr. Margaret Mead attended the above function as a key speaker, who was a scholar in the field of anthropology.2 Dr. Mead was concerned about rise of population, and its impact on the limited natural resources, she came to conclusion that certain action needed to be taken in order to stop humankind from destroying the earth, she adopted post-Hitler eugenics doctrine under new version of conservation and environmentalism.3 Dr. Mead and some other scholars came to conclusion that the earth was facing global warming which received a warm reception from public in the US due to cultural revolution of 1970’s,4 and the theory of global warming caught attention of scholars and thinkers as they joined the crew of the global warming as a threat to humanity,5 and published books, researched articles, speaking in university campuses, and appearing before special committees that how fossil fuels were causing air pollution which would have detrimental impact on quality of human life.

In December 2009, one individual or certain individuals with their own agenda disclosed e-mails of scholars and thinkers about the global warming as a fake or hoax, and claimed the theory of global warming had political motive like concept of global governance or how a government would tax public on area of air pollution. However, there was one undeniable key issue on horizon to ponder that fossil fuels would pollute the air, and had detrimental impact on quality of human life; such as, “acid rain (or acid deposition, as it’s called in technical circles) is produced by the burning of fossil fuels. It is formed when emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen and oxidants to form various acidic compounds. These compounds then fall to the ground in either wet or dry form. Acid rain acidifies lakes and streams and contributes to damage of trees at high elevations. (Check out Mount Mitchell in North Carolina if you want a graphic example of tree damage.) Hundreds of lakes in the Adirondacks have become too acidic to support sensitive fish species. In addition, acid rain accelerates the decay of paints and buildings. Electric power plants account for about 70 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions about 30 percent of nitrogen oxides emissions. Cars, trucks and buses also are major sources of nitrogen oxides.”6 The air pollution would undermine health of “young children and elderly people often suffer more from the effects of air pollution. People with health problems such as asthma, heart and lung disease may also suffer more when the air is polluted. The extent to which an individual is harmed by air pollution usually depends on the total exposure to the damaging chemicals, i.e., the duration of exposure and the concentration of the chemicals must be taken into account.”7 As a result, “the combustion of fossil fuels include sulphur dioxide , nitrogen oxides, ground level- ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds including benzene, some heavy metals and a number of other pollutants. These pollutants are a result of the use of air, which is composed of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), in the combustion process, as well as the presence of complex hydrocarbons, additives, and impurities such as sulphur within the fuel. Many more pollutants are released when engines are not tuned or working properly.”8

The bottom line, it is proven scientifically by burning fossil fuels, it pollutes the air, and toxic materials from fossil fuels would mix with rain, and begins to damage environment due to negative side effect of toxic materials or human would become victim of air pollution by inhaling it. Once again, humankind needs to develop clean source of energy for a better and bright future for everyone.

Eco Trek Tours Society

Jessica Pautsch: Founder, Executive Director and Board Member

Jessica has extensively worked with youth and the environment in various settings for over eight years. Her love for the outdoors and interest in environmental education fuelled her drive to create Eco Trek Tours. Her formal education and field experience provided her the tools for creating and maintaining a successful and credible non profit organization. Understanding the importance of participatory development and transparency, Jessica wants Eco Trek Tours to offer a necessary and non partisan service to the community that is self sufficient and makes environmental education more effective and efficient. Jessica is in charge of fund procurement, public relations and oversees all operational logistics.

Jeff Leung: Board Chair

Jeff’s background consists of over 20 years in the Tourism Industry, 10 years in not for profit and 3 years being a business owner. Employed presently with West Trek Tours as their Vice President, Jeff has also worked for Tourism Vancouver, sat as the Board Chair for Hostelling International and conducted various public speaking engagements about volunteering on behalf of Volunteer Vancouver. He is a certified National Tourism Trainer and believes in promoting Vancouver to the World. Jeff believes in Eco Trek Tours and it’s mission to promote sustainable education programs to the youth. He presently is involved as the Chair of the Board.

Jamie Noakes: Operations Manager

Jamie has roughly 8 years of experience working with all age groups of children in fun, indoor and outdoor settings. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in geography and minor in sociology from Thompson Rivers in Kamloops, B.C. After working for Wells Gray Tours and Tourism Kamloops she decided to continue her education in Thunder Bay, Ontario where she recently completed her Masters of Environmental Studies from Lakehead University. Jamie thoroughly enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, canoeing, backpacking, snowmobiling, snowboarding, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing. She is known for her infamous tubing abilities on Shuswap Lake, in the Thompson Okanagan region, and is commonly seen competing with her three younger brothers for the Shuswap Lake tubing title. Jamie is very supportive of Eco Trek Tours mission and goals as a non-profit organization and is committed to this amazing organization.

Carlos Dominguez, Marketing Coordinator

Carlos Dominguez is the founder of Recyclife,(http://institutodeartesdigitales.com.mx/recyclife) an applied research and marketing company in State of México with one succeed case applying its methodology, linking the environmental social sector offer with special programs of Secretariat of the Environment such as communication campaigns, workshops, conciliation and civil participation panels, etc. in order to satisfy special needs of the educational and social sector in the environmental and sustainable development context. He loves the mountain bike (cross countrystyle) juggling “golos” and travel….dedicated and perseverant.

Katharine Byers: Board Member

Katharine is the co-founder of Naturebag Eco-Activities, a company which aims to reconnect families with nature.(www.naturebag.com). She has 10 years experience as an elementary school teacher in the UK and the US in addition to a masters in Environmental Education from Oxford University, UK. She is the mother to two energetic young boys and tries to get out into the great outdoors with her family as often as possible. She really enjoys hiking the west coast of Vancouver Island and has begun to introduce the boys to overnight backpack camping which they love!

Mary Brownlee, Project Coordinator and Public Engagement Volunteer

With Mary’s education in the programs of Destination Resort Management and Tourism Management at Capilano University, she has been offered the opportunity to focus her efforts on seeking environmentally aware alternatives for revenue generation in our communities. Positive choices for the environment and sustainable practices being Mary’s passions.
Most recently holding the position of Charters Coordinator at a major Vancouver attractions company and having worked extensively in BC’s tourism industry, Mary brings to to this dynamic organization of EcoTrek her belief in and commitment to community based environmental education.

Elisa Lee, Volunteer

Elisa Lee is a secondary English and Science teacher with a passion for sustainability education. She has worked with various organizations such as Sea to Sky Outdoor School for Sustainability, the World Wildlife Foundation, and FUN (Friends Uniting for Nature) Camps. At EcoTrek, Elisa has helped prepared information packages for students to take home and plan future action.

Basic Info
Name:
Eco Trek Tours
Category:
Organizations – Academic Organizations
Description:
EcoTrek Tours is a non profit organization comprised of a group of dedicated and informed individuals committed to creating interactive learning opportunities in environmental education for elementary and high schools throughout the Lower mainland.

Our vision is to make environmental education more efficient and effective by engaging the youth with local initiatives in the community. Instead of creating another educational program, EcoTrek Tours connects existing educational outreach programs to schools. By working with schools and the organizations, we hope to create relevant and informative tours that meet the highest standard of education.